


Walk Away

by Wolfcry22



Series: Shame [16]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Abusive John Winchester, Angry Dean Winchester, Angst, Awesome Dean Winchester, Dean Winchester Loves Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester Takes Care of Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester and Sam Winchester Use Their Words, Dean Winchester is Protective of Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester is Sam Winchester's Parent, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotionally Hurt Dean Winchester, Emotionally Hurt Sam Winchester, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt Dean Winchester, Hurt Sam Winchester, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, John Winchester Bashing, John Winchester Being an Asshole, Overprotective Dean Winchester, Protective Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester Loves Dean Winchester, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:28:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27284203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolfcry22/pseuds/Wolfcry22
Summary: After Sam is hurt because of advice that John gave him, Dean knows that he can’t let this slide. Unfortunately, this time, Dean cannot walk away. (Based on an episode from the TV show Shameless)
Series: Shame [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1883236
Comments: 1
Kudos: 53
Collections: Sam Winchester WHUMP





	Walk Away

**Author's Note:**

> This is another part of my Shameless series. This is based on episode 10 from season one where Fiona, Lip, Carl, and Debbie confront Frank at the bar about Monica and it goes about as well as it usually does. I thought about having the same idea but with Dean confronting John. There are so many similarities that I still find between John and Frank that I tried to explore them a little deeper once again. I hope you all enjoy!
> 
> Warning for strong language, violence, implied/referenced alcoholism, and some possibly other triggering themes.

“Dean?”

Sam’s low whine of confusion and terror halted Dean in his tracks. He spun around to see Sam cowering a step behind him, lip still split and swollen and a yellow bruise beginning to show on his right cheekbone. Sam held his arm tight against his abdomen, careful not to accidentally wrench it even a hair for fear of causing another wave of pain to surge through him. It was painful enough without adding any sort of movement to the mix. Truth be told his ribs weren’t feeling the greatest either, but he didn’t want to tell his brother that. Dean was angry enough as it was.

“You good, Sammy,” Dean questioned, eyes immediately softening when he noticed the creeping panic shinning deep within Sam’s usual hazel gaze. 

Sam looked past his brother to the dingy bar. Sam had spent more time in this bar than was probably legal, but in town of Sioux Falls, no one looked too closely. It also didn’t help that the sheriffs usually hung out at the bars too between shifts, or sometimes during shifts. It wasn’t uncommon to find Dean in bars too, even though he wasn’t 21. He was usually never served if Masie, one of the bartenders, was there. However, anyone else all bets were of. Dean was fairly persuasive when he wanted to be and that usually ended up getting him into a fair amount of trouble.

“Sammy,” Dean repeated. He took a step back to his brother and raised his hand to rest it on Sam’s shoulder. Sam flinched back and Dean halted a centimeter from touching Sam, instead flexing his fingers into a claw before drawing back. “Right, don’t touch. You alright? Not going to hurl or anything?”

Sam glanced away bashfully so that he didn’t have to meet his brother’s intense jewel green eyes. “Do we really have to go in there? Do I have to go in there?”

“This’ll be quick, I promise. I just need to give Dad a piece of my mind real quick. Can you please just wait with me?” Dean thought about saying that he didn’t want Sam out of his sight, but he feared that saying so would make Sam feel even more unsafe than he already felt. If anything, Sioux Falls should’ve been one of the safest places for them, especially after they literally hunted supernatural creatures. Unfortunately that hadn’t been the case.

Sam scuffed his feet against the ground, sending a pebble skirting across the parking lot. “Okay, Dean.”

Dean offered a thankful grin and flicked his head to the side to motion Sam to follow. Sam padded forward and instinctively drew closer to his brother. He knew that Dean would look after him no matter what and would stand up to anyone that so much as looked at him the wrong way; it didn’t matter if it was someone Sam’s age or a 50 year old retired welder at the bar.

The two headed inside the smoke filled bar. Sam let out a cough with Dean instantly glancing down to him. Sam was quick to shake his head to assure his brother that he was fine.

Once Dean was sure Sam wasn’t going to stop breathing or something, he turned back to the bar. He was able to pick out John from the group of depressed looking blue collar workers. He appeared to be on his third beer from the amount of glasses that were lined up at his elbow. He was speaking to a bartender that Dean didn’t recognize and that somehow pissed Dean off even more.

“Dean?”

Dean looked up and was relieved to see Masie approaching from the back room, looking at Dean questioningly and then to Sam, her head tilted when she noticed that the youngest Winchester was also there. “Is everything okay?”

“Dad,” Dean snapped, ignoring Masie. Although he liked Masie well enough and she always made sure John got home safe if he had been drinking and didn’t allow him to drive home, this wasn’t about her. “Dad!”

John stiffened when he heard his eldest’s voice. He took a few more greedy gulps from his glass before turning to gaze at his kids. “What are you doing here, Dean? I thought I told you to watch after your brother?”

Dean couldn’t help but scoff in utter bewilderment. Was there anyway for John to be anymore of an asshole? 

“I was working so we’d have money to eat and yet I hear that you told Sam to stand up to the bullies that were giving him a hard time at school,” Dean snapped, voice carrying throughout the entire bar. It even drowned out the sound of cackling laughter from the back of the bar and the clanking of glasses from behind the bar.

John shrugged. “He needs to learn how to defend himself.”

“Defend himself my ass! Those kids at the crappy school are punks and sociopaths! They would’ve killed Sam if I hadn’t shown up.” Dean crossed his arms over his chest and stood back, placing himself between John’s line of vision so that he couldn’t so much as glance at Sam.

John didn’t even react to what Dean was saying, nor the tone in which he was saying it. He just took another sip of his beer as though it was more interesting than what his son was screaming at him. “You’re too soft on him. He’s never going to learn how to protect himself if you’re always doing it?”

“Make up your mind! Do you want me to look after him or not? Because you sure as hell don’t,” Dean snarled, lip curled back to reveal glinting teeth that ground together at the molars.

“Watch your tone.”

“I look after Sam! I make sure that he does his homework, gets to bed, and is safe at night, not you!” Dean took in a shuddering breath before continuing. “He deserves a better father than you. Hell, I do too. I never asked you for anything. The one thing that I needed you to do was make sure that Sam got home from school this one time while I was at work and you couldn’t even do that. You came here to get drunk after telling Sam to beat up the very same people that threatened to beat the shit out of him last week. Why the fuck do you think that would be a good idea?”

John slammed his now empty beer glass down on the bar and growled fiercely. The sound was low and rumbling in his chest like the roar of a bear before it attacked. “I will decide what’s best for the two of you. I’m Sam’s father in case you’ve forgotten; not you!”

Dean let out a frustrated laugh since he knew that if he didn’t he may just break down. He gnawed on his bottom lip and drew back with a shake of his head. “Yeah, yeah, you’re his father. Haven’t raised him a day in his life since mom died, but yeah, I guess the law says that you’re his father.” He drew back and spun so quick that he nearly slammed into Sam in the process. He had almost forgotten that Sam was behind him. The kid had been next to silent while Dean and John had quarreled. 

“Dean,” questioned Sam in a small voice that he typically found himself using when he was especially frightened. Dean gave Sam credit; the kid wasn’t afraid of much and could usually stand his ground. There was just something about seeing his father tear into his brother that shook Sam to the core much more than any vampire or shapeshifter ever could.

Dean lightly touched Sam’s shoulder, making sure not to touch his arm that was injured. “I’ve gotta walk away,” Dean confessed after a moment of staring into Sam’s eyes.

Sam tilted his head, teeth curling into his busted lip. “What?”

“If I don’t leave I’m going to fucking hit him!” Dean watched Sam recoil in fear and he mentally cursed himself for being so harsh with his brother. It wasn’t Sam’s fault that John was an asshole. It was John that Dean was furious at, yet he had taken part of his anger out on his brother. Sam had been through enough without Dean adding to the stress in anyway. 

Dean’s eyes softened and he offered Sam a genuine smile. “Come on. He’s not worth our time.” He began to steer Sam in the direction of the door when a rush of determination pulsed through him. He stopped dead in his tracks even when Sam had almost sprinted to the door. “Eh, what the hell?”

Dean turned on a dime and curled his hand into a fist. He struck it out and it hit the side of John’s jaw and mouth. Dean felt skin and bone give under the force of his punch that sent John falling from the chair. He landed on all fours on the ground, head pressed against the disgusting tile. John’s head lifted slowly with blood dripping from his parted lips. He spat heavily while turning to look up at Dean in pure shock while blood flowed freely from his mouth.

Meanwhile, Dean shook out his hand where his knuckles were throbbing at the force of his punch. “Fuck!”

John turned his attention to Sam, who was standing rigid. His eyes rounded like to spheres while his entire body shook. He wanted to leave and he wanted to leave now.

“Sammy,” John begged through another mouthful of blood that stained his normally yellowish white teeth crimson.

Sam’s bottom lip quivered until he gave his head a slow shake. Ordinarily he may have broken down and helped John up, but there was no way that he would go against his brother. He continued to stare at John for a moment, frozen to the spot, stunned at what had just transpired.

Dean towered over John, pain still radiating up his entire arm. “If you’re going to act this way, you are on your own. I’m not kidding! I’m done! I’m out! You deal with this shit.” He turned abruptly and stormed out of the bar. He thrust the door open in his haste, sending it slamming against the wall. He was filled with such rage that he didn’t even check to make sure that Sam was following. Luckily Sam could act like a puppy at the best of times and scurried after Dean, not caring if he jarred his battered body in the process.

“Piece of shit! Worthless asshole,” Dean snarled, shaking out his hand while clutching it into a fist and then shaking it out once more, repeating the process again, all the while muttering into the breeze so that his breath billowed around him.

“Dean?”

“Why the hell do I still put up with him? He’s never going to change. Damnit!”

“Dean?!”

Dean halted abruptly and glanced back over his shoulder to see Sam standing a step behind him with eyes round. If Dean didn’t know any better, he would guess that Sam was a moment away from breaking down. Dean had spent enough time with his brother to know how hard Sam took most things and how sensitive he could be.

“Oh, Sammy.” Dean came over and lowered his head so that he was closer to his brother’s level. His father would often say during his drunk tirades that Sam was going to pass Dean eventually on height. Dean always thought it was just what his father said to piss him off, but now he was seeing that there may be some truth to his father’s words. 

While Dean’s thoughts wandered, he barely had time to focus on something brushing his knuckles. He jumped back with fire glistening behind his eyes until he realized it was his brother. Liquid pools of hazel confusion met Dean’s rather intense gaze, making Sam wince from the sudden pull backwards.

“Sorry, sorry,” Dean mumbled as he picked back up his hand and pulled his wrist back.

Sam offered a tiny smile. “Does it hurt?”

“The hand?” Dean let out a deep snort. “It’s not that bad. Little tender, but nothing that I can’t handle. Been through worse, you know.”

That was a fact that Sam wouldn’t dispute. He had seen his brother with multiple concussions, deep gashes and lacerations, broken bones, dislocated joins, and a palithera of other injuries that had left Dean screaming, vomiting, and crying out in agony. Sam couldn’t even count the number of times Sam had to help his Dad force back dislocated joints or set broken bones. Sam was becoming almost better than a hospital in that way thanks to the mileage Dean’s body had already been through at such an early age. Bruised knuckles from punching their father certainly wasn’t the worst thing that they had come across, but that didn’t make Sam feel any better about it.

“I’m sorry, Dean,” Sam broke in with his gaze locked on the ground. He couldn’t seem to meet his brother’s gaze no matter what Dean tried.

Dean could see Sam shrinking away. His head tilted in curiously with his heart skipping a beat in his chest. “What are you apologizing for, Sam?”

“You were angry at Dad because of me.” His voice barely broke above a whisper and Dean had a hard time hearing him thanks to the wind. “You hurt him because of me.”

Dean took in a deep breath and crouched down, raising his hand to flick the tip of his pointer finger against Sam’s temple. “Hey, look at me,” he instructed.

Sam wrinkled the bridge of his nose in distain before lifting his gaze to look at his brother. Dean had a way of offering a patient look mixed with understanding. It was something that only Dean could do to break Sam from his shell. Dean kept poking at Sam until Sam burst into a laughing fit that jolted his already sore body. 

“D-Dean,” Sam complained through laugher. “That hurts!”

Dean lifted his hands in surrender. “Alright, I just wanted to get your attention there.” Dean sniffled, hand trailing under his flared nostrils as the cold took it’s toll. “Now that I have it, you need to listen real close, alright? None of this is your fault. It’s Dad being an asshole in general and I didn’t want you to have to see that, but I’m not a saint, I’m afraid. Sometimes I loose my cool is all.”

“You’re not going to end up like Dad, right,” Sam fretted, voice becoming even more strained and quiet than before.

Dean’s eyes widened in alarm. His heart thundered in his chest, threatening to crawl up his throat if he allowed it time to. “No, kiddo. I’m not going to turn into Dad. Do you really think that?”

“Not think it,” mumbled Sam with a shrug of his non-injured shoulder. “Just worry about it, I guess.”

“There’s plenty of shit you need to worry about in this world,” Dean began as he lifted his slightly swollen hand to brush his fingers through Sam’s mop of brown hair away from his eyes. “Werewolves, vampires, shifters, ghouls, and so much more. But me becoming John isn’t one of them. Do you hear me?”

Sam took in what his brother had just told him and nodded slowly. “I hear you, Dean.”

“Good, good.” Dean grunted as he rose up to his full height and rolled his shoulders back. “C’mon. Let’s get back to the motel and get those cuts and arm dealt with. Maybe we can even order a pizza. That sound good?”

Sam smirked and gave a nod, bustling ahead with Dean right beside him. The least that Dean could do after everything that had happened today was give Sam as much of an opportunity as possible to forget about it.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this installment of the series and are staying safe and healthy!


End file.
